Natalia Armoza dreamed of giving her daughter Pearl, who was born with cerebral palsy, a normal life and was tired of seeing her daughter miss out on amazing opportunities. One day, she decided to take a chance and emailed the New York City Ballet, one of the most prestigious ballet companies in the world, about creating a dance program for children with special needs.
"It would mean so much to my daughter and children like her to take part in a New York City Ballet workshop and, for one day, feel like they too could become ballerinas," Armoza wrote in the email.
"I thought, you know, the worst they'll do is they'll say they're not interested," she adds in the clip below.
But in no time, the company responded by creating four workshops with the help of cerebral palsy specialist Joseph Dutkowsky, MD and two of their principal dancers, Adrian Danchig-Waring and Maria Kowroski.
Pearl and 18 other children with disabilities were treated to the special dance class, and Dutkowsky advised all the students to o take their braces off so they'd be able to move freely.
"Total freedom," says a mother of a young participant in the class. "She can let her body go. She can be the same as somebody else."
The end result is truly touching. Seeing the children smiling and dancing around is nothing short of sheer joy…for everyone.
Watch the beautiful video below, and please SHARE this story to help raise awareness about these special dance programs.
